Functions

2.5MHz to full span
The H30’s spectrum analyzer includes 2.5, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500MHz, and 1GHz full span settings, as well as automatic reference level adjustment. Real-time processing speeds ensure capture of any fast, intermittent plant impairments. You’ll be blown away by the accuracy and level of detail provided by this ultra-portable pocket-sized spectrum analyzer. A definitive tool for identifying and locating noise, interference, ingress and other waveforms that may be affecting cable services quality.

Less is more
Sometimes a quick glance at a particular channel is all you need. The H30’s advanced single channel measurement automatically detects the type of channel, providing video and audio levels, V/A, and C/N for analog signals, and Power, C/N, MER, Pre-BER, and Post-BER in digital mode. All these tests are completed using just one button push and all the metrics reported based on user-defined location thresholds providing pass/fail results easy to interpret by even the least experienced technician in the team.

Improve decision making
Reduce installer errors with on screen pass/fail indicators that give a quick and easy to understand interpretation of the test results. Different thresholds are available for different testing locations such as headend, launch amp, tap, bonding block, customer premises, etc. But not only are there presets, you can configure your own custom thresholds too.

Always in balance
Get a quick view of your signal level differences over a specified frequency range so you can apply attenuation or equalization to adjust them. Take the meter to your farthest extents and see at a glance what carriers’ power levels are out by their red, yellow, and green colors. Any number between 2–12 analog, digital or DOCSIS channels can be measured using the tilt measurement, and you can even select which carriers are your reference points to determine the tilt between any of the channels included in the measurement.

Fine-tune your digitals
The Constellation display is an indispensable tool for the technician when trying to measure the quality of the QAM modulated signals. Constellation diagrams help detect the presence of noise, phase jitter, interference, and gain compression, all of which impact overall signal quality leading to service disruption. By visually inspecting the size and shape of the dots within the constellation matrix, the technician can easily identify the nature of the problem.

With channel plan auto-learn
Learn which channels are present in your distribution with the ultra-fast learning plan feature. Then select any stored plan and scan every existing analog and digital channel in real time to determine the overall frequency response of the system. The scan measurement leverages the location based thresholds to clearly show whether or not signal levels comply with the cable system’s specifications by their green, yellow and red bar level indicators. This gives an easy-to-understand real-time view of the distribution, including the BER and MER values of the selected channel.

Deep dive into those analogs
Cable TV networks are generally located in densely populated areas or extend over large geographical regions. This makes cascading large numbers of amplifiers a frequent necessity that can be the cause of quality of service to drop below minimum acceptable levels. Composite second order (CSO) and composite triple beat (CTB) are commonly used quality parameters that can be measured with the H30 to ensure the best possible quality video for customers receiving analog signals.

Cover all your bases
Don’t want to worry about bringing a seperate volt meter with you?… no problem, the H30 will do that too.
The H30 will also give you a Hum percentage to help you diagnose those ground and power interference problems that may result from a defective power supply or faulty/overloaded power inserters.

Maximum, average, peak
Help identify reverse path problems before your customers are affected. Poorly shielded coaxial cable and faulty terminations are important sources of ingress noise which can easily add up in the return due to the large number of subscriber-generated signals that are sent back to the headend. The combined and amplified interference is often responsible for service disruption, so having a good reverse path ingress scan tool is always a must.

Save and Download
As you are taking measurements or looking for problems, you can log data samples of all the signal parameters to further analyze problems, or just to keep for your records and job reports. May be a great training tool for others as well.

Track down impedance mismatches
You cleaned up your system getting the C/N ratio to reasonable levels, ingress and impulse noise are under control, the forward and reverse amps have been balanced, for the most part things are working reasonably well, but modems in some parts of the system are still having problems, or your higher order QAM channels aren’t as good as you’d like… one possible culprit is microreflections, reflections, or echoes. Impedance mismatches are everywhere: connectors, amplifier inputs and outputs, passive device inputs and outputs, and even the cable itself. The QAM auto-equalizer filter helps to get rid of this multi-path interference in the cable plant. The H30’s equalizer analysis function displays the level of the equalizer coefficients in real time helping you pinpoint any possible mismatches in the distribution that can cause problems.

Study MPEG details
Do you want to know what program content is on that
QAM channel? The H30’s Service Info feature will tell you.
In addition to the short description of the service, you’ll
get the important parameters including the NIT, PAT, and
TSID for the channel, and for the individual service you’ll
get the SID and the PID, encode type, resolution, and bit
rate for both the audio and video, all of which greatly help
when trouble shooting your encoder configuration.

Double-check connectivity
Need a quick check of your data network at the headend or at a customer’s unit? The H30’s IP Speed Test allows you to check your basic network performance parameters so you don’t need to get your laptop out. This includes your upload and download speeds as well as your ping times and lost packets statistics.